Back in the saddle
After a two-week vacation, it's back to work for me. Now I can finally get rested up. Many thanks to Ellipses for keeping the blog humming along in my absence. Great job. I'm going to ease back into it here by offering a few observations about vacation and then kicking off something for everyone to make a personal confession about.
After driving about 1,000 miles or so over the past couple of weeks, I have determined that the lower a vehicle's gas mileage, the lower the IQ of its driver. In general, men in their 30s and 40s who drive SUVs are the biggest A-holes on the road.
It's amazing how fast grass grows when you leave it alone for two weeks. I almost needed a baler out there today.
I can get a lot more rest by spending a few days off at home than I can by taking a trip to the beach. I was worn out by the time I got back.
I may not have much company on this one, but after two weeks away, I miss my job and my work friends, and I'm looking forward to getting back in the old routine.
Now for something completely different:
A while back, we discussed movies that we are ashamed to admit we like. I was talking with Priguy recently, and he suggested we do the same with music. Are you a 60-year-old man who loves New Kids on the Block? Are you a 20-year-old man who has the complete Pat Boone collection? I'll start us off by admitting that I am a big fan of Slim Whitman, shown above. In fact, many years ago, Priguy and I attended a Slim Whitman show at the Capitol Music Hall in Wheeling, and I flat wore out Slim's greatest hits album. It's good to get that out in the open. Now it's your turn.
Labels: Life in General
posted by Brant at
1:09 PM
25 Comments:
I suspect my wife would say that everything I listen to is embarrassing... I am not a big music fan... but I hear something every now and again that I like and I listen to just that thing over and over again until my thirst has been quenched... Granted, my standard music preference is pretty bland... 80's plastic rock (my term), classic rock a la DVE, and 90's grunge/alternative (the mainstream pop stuff... pearl jam, nirvana, etc.)... Here are the things my brain has latched onto in the past few months that I literally hit play and "repeat one" and let it just play and play and play...
Lil' Wayne- Got Money
as much as I would say that I am not a "rap fan"... I get sucked into liking some degenerate ramblings more often than I'd like to admit... I was introduced to this song by watching a YouTube video where someone dubbed this song over a bunch of clips of the smurfs... so it was like the smurfs were singing it... I know :(
Blood on the Coal... from "The Folkmen"... a fictional band from the mockumentary "A Mighty Wind"
The Numa Numa Dance- again... youtube, fat kid, lip syncing... romanian pop music *vomit
Music is my Boyfriend- from an iPod commercial... the band is Brazilian or Japanese or something
New Soul- by Nael Yaim... another iPod commercial
All the Kimya Dawson stuff from Juno... Eleventeen, I like Giants, So nice So smart...
Ice Ice Baby- Vanilla Ice... I don't know... it's like something, grabs ahold of me tightly, flow like a harpoon daily and nightly will it ever stop, yo, I don't know, turn out the lights, and I'll glow... to the extreme I rock a mic like a vandal... oops, sorry bout that...
-ellipses
Ahh...the Slim Whitman concert! I've seen many, many concerts over the decades, and as hard as it may be to believe this, Slim's concert was one of the best I've ever seen. I'm quite serious about that, and I've seen Springsteen three times, AC/DC when they were good, i.e. before Bon Scott died, Seger, Simon & Garfunkel and the list goes on. Slim was just an amazing entertainer with a wonderful stage presence.
One band that I absolutely love and don't tell people about is ABBA. I like just about every one of their songs, and the gals in the band were so damn hot back in the day! I'm certainly not a dancer, but when I hear "Take A Chance On Me" I get happy feet.
And now, my friends, I'm going to bare a part of my soul never seen before. Brant, despite the dozens of years of our friendship and our mutual affinity for Mr. Whitman, the Beach Boys, Bobby Darin, the inimitable Del Shannon and others, I don't think even you know this about me: One of my favorite songs in the entire world is...
"I Think I Love You" by the Partridge Family.
There. It's out there for all of cyberspace, and particularly the erudite group who posts here regularly, to see. Be gentle...we're all friends here...haha.
I also like a great deal of Neil Diamond's work, as well as the Statler Brothers...the original Statler Brothers. Listen to them sing "How Great Thou Art" and tell me if it doesn't send a chill down your spine.
And just so you don't think I'm a total old fart dweeb, I like a few songs by Chingy, Snoop Dogg, Nelly and Eminem - who I think is brilliant. As with the movies, I'm sure more will come to mind, but ABBA and the Partridge Family were the ones I wanted to get off my chest.
Also, I agree with Brant about the low IQ/driving link, as well as the return-from-vacation thoughts. I rarely take an entire week off at a time because frankly, I get bored. I'm fortunate to love my job and I enjoy the folks I work with. I also am quite set in my daily routine, so four days is about the longest I can tolerate being on vacation.
So, welcome back, Brant. And I too want to commend ellipses on a wonderful job in Brant's absence. Hmmm...I wonder what Roger and Long Suffering Wife will have to say about the songs and bands...
I knew more would come to me:
"Boogie Shoes" by KC & The Sunshine Band and "Love Shack" by the B-52s.
It's good to get this stuff out...
Jesus H. Christ... I just downloaded Indian Love Call by Slim Whitman... It hurts my soul it's so bad...
-ellipses
Might I suggest "Rose Marie?"
Also, you have a soul?
Brant;
Welcome back! As a newly dedicated blogger to the OR -- i think you guys are crazy in a good way. I have exchanged sentences with these guys on many topics and they all have opened my eyes to their perspectives.
This -- opening up about songs is crazy -- but I will join in. As a 42 year old who grew up in Washington, my parents were religious to WWVA I believe it was called from wheeling -- yes the old school original country station. They then moved to the local WASHPA station i cant recall the call letters at some point. My point -- I hated any CW music i heard -- redneck, illiterate, boohoo songs and the like...now Its all my wife listens too (althought newer) so i have forcibly been assimilated lke the Borg -- resistance was futile!
But there are many others and most having come out of the closet here I agree as I appreciate many types of music as well. The few I will say is music such as Andrea Boccelli I cant get enough of and my wife hates it -- most people I know think its idiotic -- its soothing to me! KC & Sunshine Band "Please dont Go" -- and Robert John - "Sad Eyes" --love songs from a ex who broke up with me...what can I say I am a hopeless romantic! All Prince's old music -- all of it....and finally Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty -- "Louisiana Woman - Mississippi Man" -- cool tune LMAO
As for Ellipses holding up the blog -- he did OK -- hes the reason i even starting blogging here....now thats something to admit to!! One request E -- Please define plastic rock!!
Thanks, Captain
PS: I just thought of a song my father adored. Dont know the band but it was an Irish Band/song i believe the title is "My Old Man's a Dustman" -- It was definitely mid to late 70's.....has a very catchy beat....
Brant...
Is this the same rose marie that was featured in Man on the Moon (the andy kauffman movie)... ?
And you are right... it hurts that place where a soul should be... mine is full of dust and pogs.
Captain... I would say that plastic rock is that stereotypical 80's sound of synthesizers and eurotrash self absorption... I meant for it to play off the pseudo-rhyme with classic rock...
-ellipses
Oh, wait... I do have a soul... mine is just black and cold... like a Fudgicle
-ellipses
Welcome aboard, Captain. I checked out "My Old Man's a Dustman." It is, indeed, a catchy tune, done by a fellow named Lonnie Donegan. iTunes is a wonderful thing.
Dotted one ... I saw the Kauffman movie in a theater when it first came out, and I haven't seen it again since, so I'm not sure what version of "Rose Marie" is in it. Of course, Slim's is best. And, fortunately, Slim is still with us at age 84. When he dies, if it were up to me, I would use his obituary on the front page. But I would get yelled at. ;)
E;
a fudgcicle is not black -- its a creamy brown....if you want to be PC about it....but it is cold...i figured i would play off the question of the dasy blog you so entertainingly prosed to...
Brant - thank you I look forward to being a part of this....i truly appreciate the perspectives and intellect from this group of ecclectic individuals assembled....It always gives me ammunition to some things my wife and/or mother in-law states -- those can be some heated debates -- and it forces me to think about things differently --
I have not searched out the song but the artist's name sure sounds familiar.
...enjoy your days folks!
I'm 59 and find myself listening more to music that has come out in the last four years than to the Toip 40 from the'60s, when I grew up (with the exception of the Beatles). I Pretty much reject everything from 1976 through 2000, with a few exceptions. I like as lot of what my 19-tear-old likes: Motion City Soundtrack, No More Kings, P.T. Walkley, System of A Down, Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists and a lot more. There's alot of good music out there, but you won't find it on the radio.
"It's Only Make Believe" by Conway Twitty makes me want to get on a coffee table and belt it out to the rooftops.
"Sugar Sugar" by the Archies is another song that I don't tell people about.
Welcome to the best blog on the web, Captain.
Boxcar Willie, anybody?
I'm down with Boxcar. I grew up in a home where there were two kinds of music on the radio: country and western. Love the older stuff like Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Conway, George Jones, etc. The new stuff: Mostly poop.
The Slim Whitman thing isn't a surprise... I have heard the story about Brant and Priguy going to the concert a few hundredzillion times. I have to admit, once in high school I bought a Slim Whitman album and gave to a friend for a brithday gag-gift.
Here are a few songs that make me turn up the radio... no laughing please ... Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran, Ferg-a-licious by Fergie, Baby's Got Back by Sir mix-a-lot, and lets not forget the endless albums of Barry Manilow that I would steal from my mother. OMG PRIGUY! I love that Partridge Family Song... i wore out the lips on my David Casidy poster by kissin git when I was young... I think I love him.... oh- memories
Slim is a friend of mine. I ran his fan club here for 23 years. He has a beautiful voice. A range of 3 octaves and sings beautiful ballads. His 93 Cd was just released. He has recorded 541 songs and has wall to wall gold and platinum records. All My Best Sold 4,000,000. A TV sales record he still holds. Google Slim Whitman Collectors International I have lots of Slim Whitman Stuff.
Priguy...best is surely spot on i will not dispute that at all. I have not had so much fun working in along time...And thank you for the welcome...muchas gracias
When I saw the Slim album I thought he looked familiar...to my amazement that was another my parents loved and was forced to endure as I was just going back in time...thanks for the memories even as surprising as they are to enjoy looking so fondly back. I can see my father dancing kinda silly in the living room with my mom who hated how he danced but they loved their music and each other...Picture this...a kinda elvis wannabe duck tail, porc chop sideburns, wide wide belt like The Duke would wear just searching for a six shooter to tie onto, black rimmed glasses, a mischevious, corny, quirky smile, and cowboy boots the squared off type -- dancing to anything he could with my mother who hated to be in the center of attention....i sure miss him...but those are the memories brought back today for me...thanks -- if you think my impression of him is exaggerated ask Moe...she knew my dad...
As for E repeating VICE -- i always wondered what some of those words were!!! Can you quote MC Hammer too?? And as for your quasi-fascination with the smurfs its edgy...considering i spent the entire night last night (10 hours) watching repeating smurf episodes while my daughter vomimted all over me....never see smurfs the same again after all this PTSD...
As for more songs...'Ebony and Ivory" by Jackson & McCartney and of course who can forget Supertramps "Illogical song" -- and another CW "Tiger by the tail" by Buck Owens....i always wondered what that meant.... :)
Enjoy all
Ok, so my kids say I'm gay when they hear me jammin to the oldies. Oh gosh, I can't believe I'm tell the www my guilty pleasure of oldies. I'm an 80's hair band, one hit wonder or just to sum it up anything 80's, but I have to admit my weakness for: "Alley Oop" by The Hollywood Argyles, "Since I Don't Have You" by The Skyliners, anything Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye or anything with the Motown label.
Captain,
I actually teared-up as I read the way you described your dad. I saw that silly half smile and those shaking hips.
Now, I'm going to do laundry and sing as aloud as I can in my laundry room and I hope I get this song stuck in a few heads.
I leave you with this:
Why do you build me up
(Build me up)
Buttercup, baby, just to let me down
(Let me down)
And mess me around
And then worst of all
(Worst of all)
you never call, baby
When you say you will
(Say you will)
But I love you still
I need you
(I need you)
More than anyone, darlin'
You know that I have from the start
So build me up
(Build me up)
Buttercup, don't break my heart
Moe
;o)
Don't wanna use my google account because I have it setup for Christie Campbell to blog from Iowa.
I like Citizen Cope and am among the few old people in the audience at the band's appearances in Pittsburgh
I go-go for the Go-Gos.
Me, too, and I also have to admit that I like show tunes. This has been very cathartic.
I really hate to admit this, but...
I get goosebumps every time I hear Tony Orlando and Dawn singing "Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree." I think it must have something to do with that day in January 1981 when the hostages were finally freed in Iran.
This is even more embarrassing. When my kids were young, there was a movie they loved called "An American Tail," about a young immigrant mouse who comes to America and gets separated from his parents. At one point, he sings that song "Somewhere Out There," and if I even so much as think about it, I'm reaching for a box of Kleenex. Damned if I know why. But my wife knows about this and uses it against me at every opportunity, screeching out the song in a little mouse voice. Since she's a religious person, I'm hoping that her God punishes her for this in the afterlife.
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